China: Political gamesmanship in US

Xinhua

News Analysis: Facing a gov't shutdown, both U.S. parties risk adding to voter disillusionment
by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- As the U.S. federal government stands on the edge of a government shutdown, Congress risks drawing public ire.

That is because voters made it clear in November's midterm elections that they wanted to see less partisanship among lawmakers, instead of the bickering and vitriol so characteristic of the previous Congress, some experts said.

Currently, Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a game of brinksmanship: Republicans rejected the 2012 budget that U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled last week, charging that it does little to cut into the more than 14-trillion-U.S.-dollar deficit. Obama countered that making the deep cuts proposed by Republicans could stunt the fragile U.S. economic recovery.

If the two sides cannot come to a compromise by March 4 -- the cutoff date for this year's federal funding -- several government departments will be forced to shutter.

"The disruption of services ... would only further disillusion and frustrate a public that's deeply skeptical of government," said Ryan McConaghy, director of the economic program at Third Way. "The voters in the last election sent a clear message that they are looking for compromise."

He added that the impact would reinforce the widely held belief that Washington is broken.

Neither House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, nor Democrats want to see a shutdown, but with each side blaming the other, the situation could get out of hand.

"These showdowns are notoriously unpredictable. In 1995, both sides thought they had the better of the argument," said John Fortier, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, in reference to the last time the federal government closed its doors.

The current environment could heighten the chances of a shutdown. In November's midterm elections, many moderates on both sides of the isle were voted out, ramping up the potential for an even more polarized and partisan Congress. That means Boehner will also face pressure from parts of his caucus who want to continue the budget battle, analysts said.

McConaghy said the situation is dangerously close to creating a government shutdown, noting that the bill House Republicans passed on Saturday -- the GOP seeks to slash more than 60 billion U.S. dollars from federal spending through September -- contains cuts that Democrats cannot tolerate.

"It's looking increasingly like there won't be enough days to work out a compromise," he said.

Still, Boehner, having served in Congress during the 1995 shutdown, will learn from the past as he negotiates the current budget, making sure that Republicans avoid particular kinds of backlash by designating some workers as essential, said Darrell M. West, vice president and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution,.

According to a USA Today/Gallup poll released Thursday, the public wants Congress to cooperate over the budget by a 2 to 1 margin.

The study also found that Americans are divided over which party is better handling the budget crisis. Thirty-nine percent said Democrats are handling the situation better, 42 percent favored Republicans and 16 percent said they were unsure.

EITHER SIDE COULD TAKE THE BLAME

Fortier said it remains unknown which side will bear the public 's blame if the federal government closes. Are Republicans at fault for insisting on cuts before they fund the government or are Democrats at fault because they will not agree to fund the government unless it is at the current levels? Right now, there is no obvious winner, but one may emerge if one side is perceived as being inflexible and forcing a shutdown, Fortier said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-02/25/c_13748570.htm